Appearance and disappearance Painting

Landscape paintings by Frank Anderson Space exists where nothing else does. Space. That's exactly what artists have been trying to convey for centuries. Even in this age of technological advancement, 3D is relatively new, and everything seems to revolve around the expansion of our physical and virtual space. Frank Anderson has gone to great lengths to fill the space that is framed by the borders of his canvases with nothing. Every part of each and every inch of his paintings is full of it. It makes the viewer aware of just how large a landscape can be; just how much nothing there is. Anderson makes no attempt to portray space and depth in the classical way, he doesn't lose himself to a romantic passion for the glorification of nature, and doesn't try to capture reality in an impressionistic moment. It's not photorealism, optical illusions or trompe d'oeuille that he paints. Yes, you will find aspects of all this in his work, but there is much more to it. A painting by Frank Anderson has a lot in common with an intricate piece of music, that, when it comes down to it, turns out to exist of just a few notes. The real music comes forth form the space that is left between those notes. Much in the same way, Anderson conjures up something that he doesn't really paint. Scientific studies have shown that there is a primordial landscape that each and every one of us finds attractive. A Savannah landscape with a tree close by that has leaves hanging close to the ground, a path that winds away into the background and a lake or sea that reaches to the horizon. This preference is due to our common roots somewhere in Africa. Whatever the present differences between us and between our different cultural backgrounds, that landscapes appeals to everyone. Anderson has given form to this common origin in his own way. His paintings also show an essence: The primordial landscape of the human mind, a ground-plan of his desires, a map of his dreams. Looking at his paintings one gets entangled in its space; a shared, universal space. With a top and a bottom, the sky and the ground, space and earth, that need each other to create a perfect balance allowing the mystery of the painted world to evolve. And just in case you were to lose your way, there's always the horizon. The one constant factor Anderson has to offer his viewers. June 2012 Noel Sies "˜s Gravenhage, The netherlands